Analysis swap: Abaniscen

[Flavia]

I'll be playing the part of a "lay" speaker—that is, someone who speaks the language but has no linguistic training. I'll be able to tell you how to say things in different situations, maybe give intuitive explanations of how I think about why you say something, but won't be able to give you any technical analysis. (And my explanations might not actually hold up to scrutiny, just like happens with fluent speakers of natural languages.)

Some notation conventions I'll use: I'll number any sentences I give, to make it easier for folks to reference specific sentences. If it would help, feel free to ask whether you could say a particular sentence; if you can, I'll repost it with a number. If you can't, I'll number it but mark it with an asterisk to show it's ungrammatical. For example,

1) This sentence is grammatical.

2*) This sentence not is grammatical.

Some information: Abaniscen is spoken by the faerie folk living in a subtropical climate, in a galaxy far, far away. They're preindustrial themselves, but they have some human technology, the terms for which are usually borrowed from Latin.

[Trailsend]

Sweet! Is there some kind of object that most faerie folk would be likely to have on them? Like a knife, or a hat?

[Flavia]

Most of them would probably carry bows (if they're hunters) or woven bags. I'll say your informant is a hunter, because why not :)

[Trailsend]

Do you like the idea of role-playing some fieldwork with a speaker in-situ, or would you rather just swap translations?

[Flavia]

I'm absolutely up for some roleplay!

[Trailsend]

....i'm tempted to try to do monolingual elicitation, not using any English XD I find it very fun, but I also have a lot of practice doing it from my job, and I don't want to pin anybody else into hard mode. Can we suppose that our informants do speak English, and we can rely or not rely on that to whatever degree we please?

Context-wise: can we suppose I'm a foreign visitor, and someone in the village has kindly offered to host me in their home during my stay?

[Flavia]

oh yeah monolingual is tempting... if you want we can try lol

let's assume you're a foreign visitor, yeah. they let you stay in a house in the uppermost tier (an Abaniscena settlement is shaped somewhat like an amphitheatre)

[Trailsend]

Sweet! Okay, here's some "rules of the game" that make hard mode not quite as hard:

1. Don't use English (with me, at least, nobody else has to play by these rules if they don't want :P); don't translate or explain anything.

2. If you can tell what I'm trying to say, but what I'm saying isn't good Abaniscen, do tell me what to say instead. You don't need to translate it or explain why, just tell me what I should say.

3. As much as you can, do use simple, but complete sentences, kind of like you were talking to a two year old. Like if we were playing in English and you asked me "What is that?" I would answer like "That's a rock", instead of just "A rock."

And let's say I go in knowing just one translation: In Abaniscen, how do you say "What is that?"

[Flavia]

"What is that" would be as le?.

Let's begin!

[Arayaz]

The subtropical climate here reminds me of home as I materialize into the space. It's been a while since I had to travel, so for once, I feel relaxed. I catch sight of Trailsend and the faerie folk, and wave before walking in their direction.

[Flavia]

The subtropical climate here reminds me of home as I materialize into the space. It's been a while since I had to travel, so for once, I feel relaxed. I catch sight of Trailsend and the faerie folk, and wave before walking in their direction.

Bey novi!

do you want to do it monolingually too or the normal way?

[Arayaz]

The subtropical climate here reminds me of home as I materialize into the space. It's been a while since I had to travel, so for once, I feel relaxed. I catch sight of Trailsend and the faerie folk, and wave before walking in their direction.

Bey novi!

do you want to do it monolingually too or the normal way?

I'm up for monolingually!!

"Bey novi?" I say tentatively, watching the faeries' faces.

[Flavia]

The subtropical climate here reminds me of home as I materialize into the space. It's been a while since I had to travel, so for once, I feel relaxed. I catch sight of Trailsend and the faerie folk, and wave before walking in their direction.

Bey novi!

do you want to do it monolingually too or the normal way?

I'm up for monolingually!!

"Bey novi?" I say tentatively, watching the faeries' faces.

alright I won't be using the numbering thing since I already forgot lol

Bey novinemor. Bi le niestel? — they reply.

[Arayaz]

The subtropical climate here reminds me of home as I materialize into the space. It's been a while since I had to travel, so for once, I feel relaxed. I catch sight of Trailsend and the faerie folk, and wave before walking in their direction.

Bey novi!

do you want to do it monolingually too or the normal way?

I'm up for monolingually!!

"Bey novi?" I say tentatively, watching the faeries' faces.

alright I won't be using the numbering thing since I already forgot lol

Bey novinemor. Bi le niestel? — they reply.

Le, I think. That's the same le in as le, surely. But ─ are they asking me who I am, perhaps? I gesture to myself and say, "Arayaz."

[Flavia]

The subtropical climate here reminds me of home as I materialize into the space. It's been a while since I had to travel, so for once, I feel relaxed. I catch sight of Trailsend and the faerie folk, and wave before walking in their direction.

Bey novi!

do you want to do it monolingually too or the normal way?

I'm up for monolingually!!

"Bey novi?" I say tentatively, watching the faeries' faces.

alright I won't be using the numbering thing since I already forgot lol

Bey novinemor. Bi le niestel? — they reply.

Le, I think. That's the same le in as le, surely. But ─ are they asking me who I am, perhaps? I gesture to myself and say, "Arayaz."

Bi Araias niestel? Ni — they gesture at their face — Etiam niestel.

[GoshDiggityDangit]

I unearth myself a few feet away from this trio.
Bey novi, Etiam. I say.

Spoiler:

Could novi vs novinemor be some kind of politeness distinction? Or maybe it's like hello to you too? Obviously novi + -nemor.

[Arayaz]

Bi Araias niestel? Ni — they gesture at their face — Etiam niestel.

Spoiler:

Ok, so bi is some sort of second person pronoun and ni is first person? And niestel has something to do with names, it seems.

"Ni Araias niestel," I say. I gesture at Trailsend, saying, "mmm Trailsend niestel."

[Flavia]

I unearth myself a few feet away from this trio.
Bey novi, Etiam. I say.

Spoiler:

Could novi vs novinemor be some kind of politeness distinction? Or maybe it's like hello to you too? Obviously novi + -nemor.

Cielnas i tumellile ihtel? — they say to themself, it seems. They turn in your direction, and say: Bey, i le niestel?

[Flavia]

Bi Araias niestel? Ni — they gesture at their face — Etiam niestel.

Spoiler:

Ok, so bi is some sort of second person pronoun and ni is first person? And niestel has something to do with names, it seems.

"Ni Araias niestel," I say. I gesture at Trailsend, saying, "mmm Trailsend niestel."

I Tileysen niestel?

[Arayaz]

Bi Araias niestel? Ni — they gesture at their face — Etiam niestel.

Spoiler:

Ok, so bi is some sort of second person pronoun and ni is first person? And niestel has something to do with names, it seems.

"Ni Araias niestel," I say. I gesture at Trailsend, saying, "mmm Trailsend niestel."

I Tileysen niestel?

I nod my head ─ wait, I highly doubt that means "yes" here ─ what's some way of saying "yes" universally ─ "I Tileysen niestel, ni Araias niestel, bi Etiam niestel?" I say.